MWJB Another vote for Dark Woods

They are up there as one of the most consistent top roasters in the UK. IIRC, it was @Systemic who initially brought this roaster to our attention via their yellow and purple fruits. 😊🙏🏽

      dfk41 they sent out bags to a couple of us that were something like 4 weeks past roast

      Not having a dig, because I also complained to them about this - to the point they ended up sending me replacement coffee with a more suitable roasting date.

      However… don’t we all rest our coffee anyway? Sometimes for 3-4 weeks? I personally don’t rest my coffee for that long (1 week max) but one could argue that receiving coffee that’s “ready” is not a bad thing.

          MediumRoastSteam I’ve never discussed this point with Dark Woods, but ever more roasters selling beans for filter are recommending resting for upi to 4 weeks (Curve and Prodigal for example, off the top of my head).

              MWJB - I suppose the only thing is - and this was the point I made when chatting to them - is that most of us expect coffee to be roasted to order, and we, ourselves, keep our stock rotation bearing the roast date in mind. As I told them, I ordered one kilogram bag of coffee… if I had a family of 6 to make coffee for daily I wouldn’t bother with the roast date being off by 4 weeks… but for me, 1kg of coffee lasts 4-5 weeks.

                dfk41 - purposefully doing it or not… what difference does it make to the recipient, if they were to drink it straight away?

                    dfk41 Find me a roaster who is consistently supplying better filter roasts?

                    For me, there is nothing more soul destroying than realising you are low on coffee, buying a bag to drink within the coming week & being told by the roaster it’s best after 4 weeks.

                        MWJB For me, there is nothing more soul destroying than realising you are low on coffee, buying a bag to drink within the coming week & being told by the roaster it’s best after 4 weeks.

                        In case of Darkwoods - I find it to be hit and miss. Some were bang on, some were over a week old - in the same order.

                        When corresponding with them, I even suggested if they want to shift coffee already roasted, they could add as an option when buying for “rested coffee”, given the expectation is for always to be fresh. If I want to order coffee and drink straight away, I tick the box. Simples. So for me it’s not about being rested or not - it’s more about having a consistent approach.

                        • MWJB replied to this.

                            MediumRoastSteam In case of Darkwoods - I find it to be hit and miss. Some were bang on, some were over a week old - in the same order.

                            Sorry, we might be getting our wires crossed? Are you saying that the coffee (filter roast) tasted bang on, but a week old bag in the same order was not tasting good?

                                HAPPY christmas everyone.

                                🎄🎁🎄

                                Ade Smith. ACS Evo Leva v2. Kafatek Flat max 2, ssw 2024. Mazzer Philos, Craig Lyn HG-1 prime., WW key mk1.

                                About Me

                                MWJB - no, not at all. Nothing to do with taste - just roast dates. Im merely saying that Darkwoods is capable of sending, in the same order, a bag of coffee hat was roasted 2 weeks prior to order date, and another one which was roasted when the order was placed. I just wished there was consistency - they are sent “rested” coffee or “fresh” coffee - or at least give you the option to choose. Sorry for the confusion. 👍

                                  dfk41 Simple, when I buy multiple bags of beans I buy them expecting them to have been roasted more or less to order. They then join my own stock rotation queue.

                                  We are on the same boat. I’m the same: If I buy freshly roasted coffee, I expect the roast date to be when I placed the order (+/- a couple days).

                                  I was questioning what you said earlier:

                                  dfk41 If they were purposely resting their beans in strict rotation so that we could open them immediately upon arrival, then I take my hat off to them

                                  Which, for you, it wouldn’t work anyway, given what you said above (i.e.: You, like me, manage your own stock rotation, so no point in taking hats off to anyone).